Trousers display device



Feb. 23, 1954 s. J. HARRIS TROUSERS DISPLAY DEVICE Filed June 30, 1951 we Wm m uh J l- E U m 5 av w 9 HIS ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 23, 1954 UNITED STATES want .TENT OFFICE 7 Claims. (01. 223-72) tive window displays materially increase the sales of the products displayed. It isequally true that a poor display is worse than nothing. There has been a long felt need for a low cost, effective means for displaying trousers without using full size dummies which are expensive, occupy a large amount of window and/or storage space, and have other objectionable features. It is an object of this invention to provide a simple, low cost, trousers display device which constitutes an improvement over display devices of the type shown in Owens Patent No. 2,543,298.

It is an object of this invention to provide a simple means which may be used for displaying either ready-made trousers or a piece of fabric simulating trousers in such a manner that the crease shows up to best advantage.

Another object of this invention is to provide a trousers display device which is adjustable so as to compensate for differences in cuff sizes and also differences in the fullness of the upper portion of the trouser legs.

Another object of this invention is to provide a display device which may be manufactured on a mass production basis at a low cost.

Another object of this invention is to provide a trousers display device which will occupy a minimum amount of space during shipment.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a trousers display device which eliminates 2* the need for the use of pins.

Other objects and advantages reside in the construction of parts, the combination thereof and the mode of operation, as will become more apparent from the following description.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the trousers display device with a dotted line showing of various alternative positions of the crease supporting rod;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the device shown in Figure l; and

Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective View showing trousers displayed on one of the devices.

Referring now to the drawing wherein I have shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, reference numeral It shows a one-piece wire frame which has been bent into the shape shown so as to fit into one leg of trousers to be displayed. The ends of the frame H) are threaded,

2 as shown, so as to receive a turnbuckle I2 which makes it possible to adjust the width of the frame adjacent the upper end thereof. It is preferable to provide a turnbuckle which provides enough adjustment so that the top portion of the frame can be expanded from approximately 10 inches to 15 inches. By virtue of the above described adjustable feature, it is possible to display the trousers in such a manner that the main portion which is noticed by the passer-by is held taut.

A crease forming and holding rod or member 54 has been provided as shown. This member has its lower end bent, as shown, and threaded so as to cooperate with a turnbuckle I6 carried by a threaded stud [8 which in turn is carried by a block 20 held by the main frame I0 adjacent the lower end thereof, as best shown in Figure 2. The bottom two sides of the block 20 are provided with grooves for receiving the frame [0. by virtue of using the turnbuckle IE, it is possible to adjust for differences in dimensions in the lower end of the trouser leg, so as to make it possible to hold the material taut without using pins or the like to hold the surplus material in place.

The rod I4 is adapted to engage the crease of the trousers so as to very effectively display the trousers to the best advantage. The upper portion of the trousers and the extra leg may be folded up adjacent the top or back of the main frame I 0, with the result that the passer-by will primarily see the one leg of the trousers and will see this leg with the crease standing out and with the material held taut from top to bottom of the frame ID. The block 253 may be removably held in place adjacent the lower end of the frame IE! by means of friction or some suitable fasten ing means (not shown) which willen'able one to remove the block 20 from the frame when the frame is to be shipped, so as to make it possible to package the frame in a fiat condition.

By virtue of the triangular shape of the display device adjacent the bottom end thereof, it is not necessary to provide any extra means for holding the trousers in the vertical position. It will also be noted that the shape of the frame and the arrangement of the crease supporting rod ii is such that it is easy to slip the frame down into a trouser leg without having it catch in the material of the trousers. 1

The crease engaging red It has its upper end unattached to the upper end of the frame whereby it isfree to move relative to the frame. The inherent resiliency of the rod 14 serves to compensate for expansion and contraction of the material in the trousers supported thereby, so that any such expansion or contraction of the cloth in the trousers resulting from a change in the humidity will not serve to create a slack in the material, as the spring tension of the rod 14 will take up any such slack. It will also be noted that the turnbuckle l6 makes it possible to swing the rod [4 from side to side, so as to allow the window trimmer considerable freedo'om in arranging the trousers on the display frame.

Prior to insertion of the form into the leg oi a trousers, the vertical portion of the crease forming rod M extends substantially at right "angles to the turnbuckle IE, but when the form is inserted into the leg of a trousers, it is b'e'rittoward the back frame member, with theresult that-the inherent resiliency of the rod [4 creates a pushing force acting against the crease portion of the trousers.

The turnbuckle l5 constitutes a floating sup mo'rt or swivel fo'r the-rod M whereby therod M is -'i'n efiect a floating creaser which .makes it possible for the window trimmer toshift the rod from side to side at will. 'O'ne of the'big advantages of this novel'construction is that the preformed crease in I a trousers may be centered with respect to the ''frame 10 or it may be purposely offset to one side-or the other, so as to display the trousers to the best advantage. Furthermore, the floating creaser construction Hi eliminates the need for twisting the material of the dipper-end of the'trousers about the frame Ill in -an-efiort to accuratelyline up the crease with "the-center o'f the frameas the rod 14 can very easily be shifted into alignment with the crease to 1 take care 'of any unintentional misalignment.

It will be noted that the floatingcreaser M is provided witha hump adjacent its upper end. By virtue of this hump construction, once the suppcrtis properly-installed in the leg of a pair of trousers and expanded so as to holdthe cloth taut, the trousers will not slip down, as the hump thenconstitutes a barrier which prevents the trousersirom sagging. It will also be noted that the turnbuckle I6 is readily accessible -for tightening-aiter-thesupport hasbeen inserted into the leg of a. pair-of trousers. The rugged construction shown makes it possibleto tighten the lower turnbuckle to-such an extent -that one can pull upon the' upperend of the trousers-so as to pull :the cloth taut without any danger of the cufi portion becoming displaced. In other words, the window trimmer would firstadjust the turnbuckle l6 soas toproperlyLposition=and holdthe buff-end could thereafter "adjust and :pull on the upper end of the trouserleg withoutpulling-the cutie-portion out of.- place.

The construction described hereinabovemakes it possible to properly stretch the mat'erial both vertically and horizontally as desired without the need for the use =01 pins, which not only fre- .quently pull threads in the trousers but which tend .to :pull the material out of shape adjacent thee-pins. Thus, one of the-advantages-of a universally adjustable i display 'deviceof the type describedhereinabov'e is that-it eliminates the need for any localized strains or stresses in the material of the trousers which would result fromthe use of pins or similar devices for holding the ma terial taut.

7 Although the preferred embodiment of the 'de vice has'been described it willbe-understood that within the purview of this invention various changes maybe made in the dorm, details proportion and arrangement of parts, the combination thereof and mode of operation, which generally stated consist in a device capable of carrying out the objects set forth, as disclosed and defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A trouser leg display device comprising a back member having a broad upper end and a narrower lower end and tapered sides between the ends, a swiveled trouser-s crease forming rod adjustably mounted on and spaced in front of said back member and having an edge arranged to engage the crease-line of a trousers, and means including'a"turnbuckle for adiustably supporting said rod on the lower end of said back member with theupper end of the rod free to move in a :plane perpendicular to the back member.

2. A trouser leg display device comprising a back member having a broad upper end and a narrower lower end and tapered sides between "the onds, i a swiveled trousers crease forming rod adjustably moun'ted :on and spaced in "front bf said-back member 'and having an edge arranged to engage the crease-line of a trousers, and-means including a turnbuckle for adjustably support- 'ing the lower end of 'said'roii on-th'e-lo'wer ehd of said back member, the upper end of s'aid r'od being spaced from the upper end ofsaid back member and the rod having resiliency so as -to exert a continued pressure against the fabi 'i'c of the trousers displayed thereon so as to com ensate for expansion and contraction o'f th'esai'd fabric resulting from humidity "changes.

-3. A trouser leg displaydevice comprising -"a back member having abroad upper end and a narrower lower "end and tapered sides between the ends, a swiv'ele'd trouserscrease formingrod adjustably mounted on and spaced in front of said backmemb'er 'and-h'aving'an edge arranged to engage the cre'ase-line of a trousers, "and means for supporting the lower e'nd'of "said rod'adja'cent the lower end of said back member, s'aid b'a'ck member comprising a one-piece rod having its endsm'eeting at the'topof s'aid-back-member aifi means located: at the-upper end of thebackmemher for spreading said ends so as -to "p'rovideior adjustment in the width of the upper "end 'of the back'member.

:4. A trouser leg display device comprising -'a back member having :a broad upper end -and "a narrower lower end and tapered sides between the ends, a swiveled trousers crease formin'g rod adjustably mounted on andspaced in-front R ff said back member and having an-edge arranged toen'gage-the crease-line of a trousers, and means for supporting the lowerend'of said rod adjacent the lower end of :said back member, :said back member comprising a oneepiece' rod:having its ends meeting adjacent-the top'of'said'back m'emher and means located-at theiuppe'r end :or the back member for spreading said ends so as to provide foradjustment in the width of the upper end'of the back member, said-last-namedmean's comprisinga turnbuckle threaded to at least one of said ends.

5. A trouser leg display device comprising a back member having a'broad upper 'end'and a narrower lower end and tapered side's between the ends, a crease forming member spaced infront of said back member, and means for floa'tin'gly mounting said crease forming member on said back "member whereby the upper end of said crease forming member may be shifted -from 'side to side into alignment with the crease-linebf 'a trousers-tube displayed onrsaid device.

6. A trouser leg display device comprising a back member having a broad upper end and a narrower lower end and tapered sides between the ends, a crease forming member spaced in front of said back member, and means for floatingly mounting said crease forming member on said back member whereby said crease forming member may be shifted from side to side into alignment with the crease-line of a trousers to be displayed on said device, the upper end of said crease forming member having a hump formed thereon for assisting in holding the trousers in place on the display device.

7. A trousers display device comprising a back member, a swiveled crease forming member spaced in front of said back member, and means for supporting said crease forming member on said back member, the upper end of said crease forming member having a hump formed thereon for holding the material of the leg of a trousers from sliding downwardly on the display device said back member and front member forming a triangular base so as to independently maintain the device in an upright position.

SAMUEL J. HARRIS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 454,666 Rand June 23, 1891 529,600 Cook Nov. 20, 1894 

